Daily Bulletin

University of Waterloo -- Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

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Monday, May 12, 1997

IST reorganization nearly ready

Jay Black, the associate provost (information systems and technology), said on Friday that he was scheduling an open house session May 23 to talk about the reorganization of his huge department. Reorganization of IST has been expected since it was formed a year ago from the former computing services, data processing, and telephone services departments.

IST has been holding open house sessions every other Friday morning, mostly to bring the campus up to date about some of the major projects that are going on, such as the financial systems project and the new telephones. Black added that the open house after that one, June 6, will be titled "Anatomy of a Project" and will tell something about how these various projects are organized, managed and carried out.

He was speaking briefly at the beginning of Friday's open house, which dealt with the Tri-University Library Systems Project.

Later in the session, UW associate librarian Mark Haslett said that the goal of the Tri-University project is "a common integrated database" plus "shared library and technical expertise" among UW, Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Guelph.

He said the new library circulation system and on-line public catalogue, using the Voyager technology that the three universities are installing, will likely be in operation in January 1998.

Possible end to York strike

The strike by faculty members and librarians at York University, which has already lasted seven weeks, could be over on Wednesday. Negotiators for the university administration and the York University Faculty Association signed a tentative settlement Friday after mediator Kevin Burkett, apparently tired of waiting for negotiators to agree, tabled his own suggested outcome. He said: "Although neither party will achieve its bargaining objectives in their entirety, the terms of settlement that I am recommending provide a fair and honorable basis upon which to end a strike that, if it continues, could do irreparable harm to the institution."

Says a YUFA news release: "Both negotiating teams have agreed to recommend acceptance of the mediator's recommended terms of settlement to their principals (in YUFA's case, the YUFA Executive) as the best that can be achieved without indefinitely prolonging the strike."

The administration hasn't explicitly said that it is accepting Burkett's proposals. but a statement says: "We believe the mediator's recommended terms of settlement address flexible retirement, redress salary inequities that have arisen over the past ten years, and move to regain York's position in the university system." As for YUFA, its Web site says that a general meeting of faculty members on Friday passed several strong resolutions against the settlement. However, YUFA members will vote on it tomorrow (Tuesday) from 11:30 to 2:30 at a hotel near the campus, and in the meantime there will be no picket lines at York.

The Burkett settlement includes details about pensions (a major issue in the strike), salaries and workload. If it's ratified, York will hold make-up classes for winter term courses starting on Wednesday, and exams will run from May 24 to June 11.

The co-op cycle is under way

Before the week is over, the first co-op jobs for the fall term will be posted in Needles Hall and on the "Student Access" computer system. That first job posting goes up Thursday at noon, with posting #2 to follow the day after Victoria Day. Employer interviews will start June 2.

Between now and then, there are things to know and to do, the co-op department advises. Tomorrow brings the first of this term's series of career development workshops, to be held at 9:30 in Needles Hall room 1030. Anyone interested should see the Career Resource Centre ahead of time, and pick up a green information sheet.

Work reports from the winter term are due by 4:30 p.m. tomorrow (Tuesday) for students in most faculties.

First day of the rest of our lives

Conferences happening this week at Ron Eydt Village include the Ontario Universities Athletic Association, today through Friday; a one-day gathering tomorrow of the Canadian Association of Gift Planners; and the "Tutte Conference" hosted by the department of combinatorics and optimization, opening Thursday.

The UW-based Carousel Dance Centre presents a concert in the Humanities Theatre Wednesday and Thursday evenings at 7:00. On the program are "The Wizard of Oz", "Motion in Dance" (said to be inspired by paintings of the Group of Seven, with music by the Rheostatics), and "The Gift", based on poetry by Ruth Churchill Peppler, with music by Hagood Hardy. Tickets are $12, students $9, at the Humanities box office.

Hot water and steam will be shut off tomorrow morning, from 7:30 to 10:30, in Engineering III, Carl Pollock Hall, and parts of Engineering I, the plant operations department advises. The shutoff is to allow repair work to a steam leak in a service tunnel.

Because I like to count

Today is apparently the 150th anniversary of the invention of the odometer -- a gadget that has developed a whole new incarnation as the Web counter:

[Phony odometer]

The vehicle-type odometer was invented by William Clayton, who was part of the 1847 Mormon trek across the central United States to Utah in covered wagons. Until he devised a machine to keep track, distance was measured by counting the revolutions of a wagon wheel with a marker tied to it.

CAR

TODAY IN UW HISTORY May 11, 1993: The first Daily Bulletin is issued, announcing a noon-hour talk by new president James Downey on "A Humanist Meets His Waterloo".

May 12, 1978: The Engineering Society, saying the Federation of Students has improved its record of mismanagement, drops a campaign to have engineering students take back their Federation fees.

Editor of the Daily Bulletin: Chris Redmond
Information and Public Affairs, University of Waterloo
credmond@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca -- (519) 888-4567 ext. 3004
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